Private Sector Has Been Good to Maryland's Ex-Governor

Ehrlich releases personal tax return

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ROCKVILLE, MD - APRIL 07: Republican Bob Ehrlich greets supporters after announcing his candidacy for the governorship of Maryland during a rally April 7, 2010 in Rockville, Maryland. Ehrlich, who was governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007, decided to kick off his new campaign in Montgomery County where many people count themselves as independent voters. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Updated at 1:30 PM EST on Monday, Aug 30, 2010

It turns out former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich has had a pretty lucrative three years since he left office, and he is hoping to use that success as a campaign boost.

The Republican candidate for governor earned $734,633 last year working for Baltimore law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. He and his wife, Kendall, have earned close to $2.5 million over the past three years. Ehrlich released the information from his 2009 tax return voluntarily on Friday.

If Ehrlich were to make it back to Annapolis, he would receive $150,000 in compensation. The Ehrlich camp wants to use that huge pay cut as evidence that he’s committed to voters.

“Bob Ehrlich showed remarkable leadership in guiding the law office he started in Maryland to success,” Ehrlich spokesman Andy Barthtold The Washington Examiner. “Now what’s remarkable is that he wants only to put that success aside and return to public service for another term on helping to create jobs and lower taxes as governor of Maryland.”

Gov. Martin O’Malley of course is questioning the amount of money Ehrlich has made. A campaign spokesman said that the income, “raises questions about what he’s been doing” and that it “shows how out of touch Ehrlich is compared to the average Marylander.”

Over the past year O’Malley and his wife reported an income of $322,000. On top of the governor’s set wage of $150,000, O’Malley earns a $60,680 pension for serving Baltimore as mayor and city councilman. O’Malley’s wife, Catherine, earns $115,486 a year as a Baltimore District Court Judge.